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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2019 Tesla Model 3 — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 615 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

615
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
60
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
5
Involved Fire
owner-reported
30 / 4
Injuries / Deaths
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Tesla Model 3 — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

26 complaints

1,030 complaints

615 complaints

451 complaints

666 complaints

765 complaints

428 complaints

218 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Forward Collision Avoidance 169 reports
Electrical System 91 reports
Air Bags 85 reports
Suspension 82 reports
Unknown Or Other 78 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 71 reports
Lane Departure 70 reports
Service Brakes 63 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Unknown Or Other ODI 11562864 12/31/2023

Heating suddenly stopped working after 3 years.

Visibility/wiper ODI 11445635 12/30/2021

Software Update Version 11 makes it dangerous to drive when the front and/or back windshield fogs up. Getting the defogger to turn on requires multiple attempts to find icons and then more icons and then more options while attempting to drive the car (or pull over out of traffic to hunt down the defrost "button".) My windshield fogged up in a matter of seconds and it was impos…

Visibility ODI 11445551 12/30/2021

The contact owns a 2019 Tesla Model 3. The contact stated that the manufacturer had provided a new software update for the vehicle. The contact stated that the update made it difficult to use some functions. The contact was concerned that he had to take his eyes off the road to use the windshield wipers, defroster, and other features. The contact called the local dealer, but t…

Vehicle Speed Control ODI 11292014 12/30/2019

I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED AND SHOCKED FROM WHAT HAPPENED LAST DECEMBER 10, 2019 (TUESDAY). AT AROUND 5:50 AM, I AM SLOWLY DRIVING AT THE PARKING LOT OF MY OFFICE AT STRYKER CORPORATION IN SAN JOSE, CA. I AM SLOWLY PARKING MY CAR AND THEN THERE'S A SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ON MY CAR WHICH I CANNOT EVEN CONTROL OR STOP. THE ACCELERATION SPEEDS UP AUTOMATICALLY ON ITS OWN E…

Suspension ODI 11562593 12/29/2023

I had to replace the Front Upper Control Arm Assemblies (Left and Right). As part of this (I believe) I also had to replace Lower Lateral Links (Left and Right) and the Front Lower Compliance Links (Left and Right). My car had 53,536 miles on it at the time (so just outside the warranty). The total cost was $1,259.63.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2019 Tesla Model 3, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2019 Tesla Model 3 reliable?
Owners have filed 615 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2019 Tesla Model 3, most often about forward collision avoidance. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Tesla Model 3 years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.